MasukWhile everyone's expressions darkened, Jasper promptly pressed, "Renee's not back yet?""N-No…" The henchman shook his head.Jasper wheeled on Luke right then. "What is going on here?!"But Luke was just as confused, and he whipped out his phone to make a call. "This can't be… Conrad left with Ms. Whitley. Could they have been intercepted?"They had planned thoroughly for tonight—Jasper would attend the dinner with Mark and the others, forcing Mark to make his move.After that, they would also make their move and corner Mark, forcing out whoever was backing him.Renee would pretend to be drugged and go upstairs, while Conrad—who was already waiting in ambush—would take down Yvie and leave with Renee through the backdoor.Conrad had always been reliable, so none of them could have expected this.Even now, as Jasper kept calling his number, it remained unanswered.As more attempts failed, he glowered as he turned to Luke. "Which route did Conrad take? They definitely ran into tr
The crack of gunshots was endless and violent, but it was drowned out as the New Year's fireworks thundered nearby, with no one catching on.Still, anyone on the roof of the manor would have been able to see the sparks and muzzle flashes, as bullets rained across the bottom floor.But amid the raging winds overhead, two helicopters were streaking toward the roof, where over a dozen bodyguards stood watch, guarding Jasper with their lives.As the helicopters approached, the rotors pelted everyone's faces directly with a cool gust of wind.Once they touched down, Jasper loaded Mark—bound and gagged—on one and closed the door.Seeing Luke sitting opposite him, he asked, "Where's Renee?""We got her out safely, sir. Don't worry."Jasper's racing heart eased at that.All this while, both him and Renee were on the backfoot. Even after doing everything they could to uncover Mark's puppeteer, they failed.That was why Jasper had risked his own skin and came to Mark's manor, and fortun
Seeing reinforcements, the fear on Mark's face faded right away as he laughed smugly.He even calmly pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, lighting it and smoking leisurely. "Haha! Let's see where you're gonna hide against those numbers, Jasper!"Jasper didn't respond, as he was staring at the man who emerged from behind the mercenaries, chuckling. "Heh. It's been a while, Jas."It was Gio, one of mob boss Don Kalon's capo.He was wearing all black from his coat to his gloves, even sporting a pair of shades as it was night.With his cigarette in one hand and his other hand in the pocket, he certainly looked sharp and menacing… if not for his blond hair ridiculously trimmed to ducktail."The last time we met was your birthday, if I remember right?"Even though Jasper was aware of Mark's links to Don Kalon and had come here alone to lure out Mark's mysterious supporter, he didn't think that the mob boss was willing to go that far for Mark.Jasper had personally met the Don hims
"Pfft… Hahaha!"Nonetheless, Mark was suddenly rearing his head and bursting out laughing, as if he had lost his mind.He kept laughing for a while before finally turning back to Jasper. "Did you think you could get away unscathed?! I can just start over, marry again, or have another kid! But you, Jasper Zeller—you only get to live once! What could you possibly bet against me?!"Even Jasper had to admit he had underestimated Mark in that second.The man was really willing to give up on his family for his selfish motives—the lack of humanity in him was truly eerie.But Jasper wasn't intending to spare Mark's life anyway. "Start over? You have to be alive for that."Right as he finished, a man came running in, shouting, "Master Whitley! Mercenaries! They just charged in the manor—"Bang! Bang! Bang!Cracks of gunshots ensued, cutting him short.While Mark's men turned toward the direction of the gunshots, away from Jasper and Mark, Jasper seized the split second chance. Proppi
Within seconds, the man was shouting from above, "Mr. Whitley… She's gone! And Ms. Irwin is on the floor, unconscious!"Mark's eyes widened, his pupils dilating as he turned toward Jasper in shock.Shaking with rage, he raised his gun and bellowed, "Where's Renee?! Where the fuck did you take her?!"Of all the times this could happen, and even though he'd always known Jasper would be his greatest obstacle!Jasper simply flashed a vague smile, calm as ever. "Come on, Mr. Whitley—you know men at your age are at risk of health problems if you let the stress get to you…" Pausing, he held Mark's gaze as he continued, "Also, Renee was never your daughter. What, did you lie one too many times that you now believe your own lies?"It was time to tear down this cheap facade anyway!Mark blinked, his cheek twitching as he blurted, "W-What are you talking about?!""I mean what I said.""How did you…" Mark blurted, but soon came to his senses and bellowed, "Bullshit! I raised her! Of cour
Everything was perfect, but Mark had to let everything fall apart because of a single tiny detail.It was the height of folly!And even as he reached for his gun, there was no way he could have beaten Jasper in speed, who whipped out his own gun and shot Mark's right arm before Mark could fire.Bang!"Argh!" Mark screamed in pain while his gun dropped with a clatter, clutching his arm that was now both stabbed and shot.Still, even as he gritted his teeth in pain, he was soon laughing coldly. "Haha! Did you think you'd make it out from here, Jasper?! Everyone here is my man, and don't forget that Renee is my daughter!"Indeed, as soon as his guns dropped, there was a rush of footsteps as a group of men came charging in. They were all mercenaries Mark hired, pretending to be gardeners earlier.After all, Mark knew Jasper wasn't an easy opponent and brought plenty of backup.Even as all of them stood in a single straight line and trained their guns at Jasper in unison, Mark laugh







